Endive, khakis and bacon salad

Salty, sweet, acid and bitter: this salad of endive, khakis, bacon and lemon vinaigrette lemon meets the four basic tastes that detects the human tongue. They say that there is a fifth, umami, related to the monosodium glutamate and other flavor enhancers customary in Far East. But here we do not use of those things.

To ensure that the salad go well, you should follow a few patterns. First, buy a tender endive and discard the leaves more harsh, which are very well as fodder for cows but not advised for non-ruminants. Second, the khakis -or khakis, or palosantos- should be ripe, because if not they have an disgusting astringent effect in the mouth. Third, the bacon must be crisp, not to ballast the dish with too much fat.

Ingredients

For four people

1 endive

2 khakis

100 gr. of bacon

1 garlic clove

2 tablespoons of lemon juice

8 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

Salt and ground black pepper

Preparation

Peel the garlic, cut in two pieces and rub the salad bowl or the dishes where you’re going to serve the salad. Mix the garlic with the oil, vinegar and salt.

Chop the bacon and roast it in a sauce-pan over low heat. We do not need pouring oil; it does with their own fat. When it is crisp, remove to a dish with kitchen paper to lose the excess fat.

Wash the endive and discard the hard green stems and the thicker white pieces. Drain it and put it into the salad bowl. Peel the khakis, cut into segments not very large and spread on the endive.

Shake well the vinaigrette and add it to the salad. Sprinkle with ground black pepper and more salt if needed. Spread the crispy bacon and serve.